1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a grommet and a fixing structure of the grommet. More particularly, it relates to a grommet to be used for the wiring of a vehicle door harness and a fixing structure of the grommet.
2. Description of the Related Art
A grommet used for the wiring of the vehicle door harness is shown in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (kokai) No. 8-318796, as shown in FIG. 1. In this figure, the grommet 1 is attached to a side face 21 of a door inner panel in a vehicle door 2, the side face 21 being arranged on a hinge attachment side of the door inner panel. The grommet 1 comprises a substantially-rectangular grommet body 11, a cylindrical part 12 projecting from the body 11 and allowing a door harness 3 to pass therethrough, and an attachment plate 13 insert-molded into the body 11 and made of synthetic resin, for attaching the body 11 to the side face 21. As shown in FIG. 2, the attachment plate 13 is provided with four claw-shaped clips 13A projecting from the inside of the body 11 outward. On the other hand, four engagement holes 21A are formed on the side face 21 of the door 2, for engagement with the clips 13A. On the back side of the grommet 11, a pair of lid parts 11A, 11A are formed for allowing the door harness 3 to be accommodated in the attachment plate 13 when the parts 11A, 11A are closed upon the arrangement of the door harness 3 therebetween.
On condition that the door harness 3 is accommodated in the attachment plate 13, the clips 13A of the grommet 1 are inserted into the engagement holes 21A on the side face 21 of the door 2, for fixing the grommet 1 to the door 2. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a weather strip 4 is arranged along the side face 21 so as to pass over the grommet 1 fixed on the face 21.
In this grommet 1, however, there is a problem that the projecting amount of the clips 13A varies corresponding to the situation of the door harness 3 being accommodated in the plate 13 due to the arrangement where the clips 13A of the plate 13 are engaged in the engagement holes 21A in the side face 21 while interposing the door harness 3 between the attachment plate 13 and the lid parts 11A of the body 11. Therefore, the bonding force between the clips 13A and the engagement holes 21A is unstable. For example, if the door harness 3 is a collapsed one, then the projecting amounts of the clips 13A are increased to cause the grommet 1 to wobble with respect to the side face 21.
Additionally, since the above grommet 1 is fixed on the side face 21 through the plural (four) clips 13A, the wobbling may arise when even one clip 13A is not certainly engaged in the engagement hole 21A, so that a problem of easiness for water to permeate into the grommet 1 is caused. Therefore, it is necessary for a worker to assemble the grommet 1 with a skilled technique, so that the certain assembling cannot be effected quickly and easily.
Further, in the grommet 1, it is necessary to machine and form the plural engagement holes 21A in the side face 21 of the door 2, in positions corresponding to the clips 13A of the grommet 1, thereby causing the machining process of the door 2 to be complicated.
Further, since the conventional grommet 1 has the door harness 3 fixed thereon with no winding tapes, there arises a dispersion in the dimensions of the door harness 3, so that it may be easily slacked or pulled. In such a case, the resulting slack of the door harness 3 causes it to be caught by the closing or opening door 2. Alternatively, the pull of the door harness 3 causes it to be broken down. On the contrary, if desiring to fix the door harness 3 onto the grommet 1 with the winding tapes, then it is difficult for the worker to carry out the fixing operation of the door harness 3 on a flattened jig since the door harness 3 is L-shaped wired along the grommet 1. That is, in the conventional grommet 1, it is not easy to fix the door harness 3 on the grommet 1 by means of winding tapes.
Under such a circumstance, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a grommet which can be assembled to a panel constituting a door body quickly and which can simplify the processing of the door body, and a fixing structure for the grommet. Again, another object of the present invention is to provide a grommet which is advantageous in assembling the wire harness thereon and which facilitates the dimensional management of the wire harness and also reduces a possibility that the wire harness is bitten into the opening or closing door.
The objects of the present invention described above can be accomplished by a grommet to be attached on a panel constituting a vehicle, for holding a wire harness wired on the panel between a grommet body and the panel in waterproof manner, the grommet comprising; an elastic clip to be inserted into an engagement hole formed in the panel, for engagement with the engagement hole, the elastic clip having a base part and being capable of deforming elastically; and
a waterproof lip formed around the base part of the elastic clip; wherein the elastic clip is formed so that a plane configuration thereof is larger than the engagement hole and the elastic clip is provided, on the base part, with a narrow part for contact with an opening margin of the engagement hole.
With the above constitution of the grommet, the engagement of the grommet with the panel can be accomplished by press-fitting the elastically deformed clip into the engagement hole formed in the panel. The mere insertion of the clip into the single engagement hole allows the grommet to be installed to the panel. Further, since the clip is larger than the engagement hole, the clip once elastically deformed and subsequently inserted into engagement hole does return to the original configuration on the hidden side of the engagement hole, while the panel portion around the engagement hole is engaged in the narrow part of the clip. Consequently, it becomes difficult to withdraw the grommet from the panel, whereby the grommet can be fixed on the panel securely.
In the above-mentioned grommet, the peripheral surface of the elastic clipmay be tapered.
In this case, the tapered surface of the clip facilitates the worker""s pushing the clip into the engagement hole thereby improving the workability in assembling the grommet to the panel.
The above-mentioned grommet may further comprise an inner member in the form of a cylindrical body allowing the wire harness to pass therethrough,
wherein the elastic clip is formed on the inner member and the inner member is adapted so as to support the grommet body provided with a protection cylinder allowing the wire harness to pass therethrough.
In this case, it is possible to wire the wire harness through the inner member and the grommet body. Additionally, since the inner member and the grommet body can be provided independently of each other, it is possible to simplify the respective structures thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the grommet.
In the above grommet, the inner member may be provided, on a lateral part thereof, with a flange part which is inserted into the grommet body.
In this case, the insertion of the flange part into the grommet body allows the inner member to be fixed to the grommet body with ease.
From another aspect of the invention, there is also provided a fixing structure for attaching a grommet on a panel constituting a vehicle, the fixing structure comprising:
the panel provided with a hollow part for accommodating the grommet in the panel, the hollow part having an engagement hole formed in a bottom of the hollow part; and
the grommet provided with an elastic clip having a base part and a waterproof lip formed around the base part of the elastic clip;
wherein the elastic clip is pressure-fitted and engaged into the engagement hole, while the waterproof lip is brought into pressure contact with the panel""s face around the engagement hole.
With the above constitution, owing to the accommodation of the grommet into the hollow part, it is possible to prevent the grommet from projecting from the panel""s face. Further, since the installation is completed by inserting the clip into the single engagement hole, the processing of the panel can be simplified and the simple installation can be realized. Again, owing to the provision of the waterproof lip contacting with the panel under pressure, it is possible to prevent water from entering into the engagement hole.
In the above fixing structure, the periphery of the grommet may be brought into pressure contact with the periphery of the hollow part.
In this case, it is possible to improve the waterproof capability furthermore.
In the above fixing structure, the engagement hole may be in the form of an oblong hole while the elastic clip is shaped so as to be oval substantially.
In this case, it is possible to prevent the rotation and clattering of the grommet.
From yet another aspect of the invention, there is also provided a grommet to be attached on a panel constituting a vehicle, for holding a wire harness wired on the panel between the grommet and the panel in waterproof manner, the grommet comprising;
a grommet body formed so as to pass the wire harness therethrough;
a grommet inner cover provided with a cover piece which can pivot against the grommet body on condition that the cover piece is attached to a back face of the grommet body; and
a grommet inner base to be arranged on the back side of the grommet inner cover and attached to the grommet body, the grommet inner base being provided with a bent piece which makes a designated angle to the back face of the grommet body when the grommet inner base is attached to the grommet body;
wherein, in the assembled condition of the grommet, the wire harness is interposed between the grommet inner cover and the grommet inner base, and the cover piece of the grommet inner cover is pivoted so as to overlap with the bent piece of the grommet inner base, so that the cover piece is carried by the bent piece.
In this case, it is possible to easily put a tape round the wire harness for fixture while arranging the cover piece of the grommet inner cover and the back face of the grommet body on the substantially identical level and possible to arrange the bundle of wire harness with respect to the grommet inner cover uniformly. Accordingly, according to the invention, it is possible to perform both wiring work and dimensional management for the wire harness. Further, by overlapping the grommet inner cover with the grommet inner base upon the wiring of the wire harness, it is possible to arrange it along the bent base piece at a predetermined angle to the back face of the grommet body.
In this grommet, the grommet inner cover may have a plurality of projections formed for preventing the wire harness from spreading.
Thus, when overlapping the grommet inner base with the grommet inner cover, it is possible to prevent the wire harness from being forced out of or bitten by the grommet inner base.
In the grommet described above, the grommet inner base may be provided, on a back face thereof, with an elastic clip for engagement with one engagement hole formed in the panel, the elastic clip having a base part and being capable of deforming elastically and a waterproof lip formed around the base part of the elastic clip, wherein the elastic clip is formed so that a plane configuration thereof is larger than the engagement hole and the elastic clip is provided, on the base part, with a narrow part for contact with an opening margin of the engagement hole.
Also in this case, by elastically deforming the clip formed in the grommet inner cover and press-fitting the clip into the engagement hole formed in the panel, the whole grommet can be engaged and fixed with the panel. In this invention, the mere insertion of the clip into the single engagement hole allows the grommet to be installed to the panel easily. Further, since the clip is larger than the engagement hole, the clip once elastically deformed and subsequently inserted into engagement hole does return to the original configuration on the hidden side of the engagement hole, while the panel portion around the engagement hole is engaged in the narrow part of the clip. Consequently, it becomes difficult to withdraw the grommet from the panel, whereby the grommet can be fixed on the panel securely.
These and other objects and features of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompany drawing.